Improvement in printers  furniture



R. B. TOPHAM. GOMPOSING STICK.

- 110.110,695.4 Patented Jan. 3, 1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTERS" FURNITU RE..

Specification formingr part of Letters Patent Xo. li0,695, dated January 3, 1871.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, RICHARD B. TOPHAM, of Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combination Side-Stick and Quoins for Printers7 Use; and I declare the following to be a full and exact description of my improvement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof.

My invention consists'of a side or foot stick and quoins, so combined that the quoins'may be always at hand when required for use, and that they may not be lost -or easily broken.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the side-stick and quoins as applied to a galley partly filled with type. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of Fig. 1 on the line a: w. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of side-stick and quoins, showing their mode of connection. 1

Similar letters indicate same parts in all the figures.

A represents the side-stick, which may be of wood or metal, beveled-on one side, and in the beveled edge a dovetail slot or groove is cut, nearly or quite the whole length of the stick. v

B B represent quoins, which are movably attached tothe side'stick A by a tongue, b, fitting the groove a a a in the stick.' The quoins have a bevel on one side corresponding to the bevel of the side-stick, and of course have a wedging action when forced toward the broad end of the stick. Any desired number of quoins may be attached to each side or foot stick. The quoins are prevented froni escaping from the groove by stopping up both ends of the groove with a wedge, as shown at c c, Fig. 3, or byinserting a pin, screw, or equivalent device in place ofthe Wedge. This construction also preventsthe quoins being driven againstV the end of the chase or galley, from which position it is difticult to extract a quoin without injury t-o all the material employed.

The construction of foot-sticks and sidesticks is identical in principle.

The details of construction may be reversed, so as to make the tongue on the side-stick and the groove in the quoin,wit11out departing from the spirit of my invention.

By employing this combination, much time may be saved to the printer in finding and adjusting quoins of the proper size, and both quoin and side-stick are more durable. vThe quoin is also held from violent contact with the imposing-stone when locking up a form, which is the great source of damage to imposing-stones.

Having thus fully set forthv my inven' in the foregoing description, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s-- The combination and arrangement of the side-stick A with, the quoins B B, the quoins being furnished with a dovetailed tongue,`b b,-

tting loosely'in the groove a a a. in the stick, substantially as shown a'nd described. RICHD. B. TOPHAM. Witnesses:

WM. A. MCKENNEY, J. MOKENNEY. 

